A rejected offer
by Stand with Ward and Queen
Summary: In a word where Supergirl takes place on EArth-1, Kara extends an offer to Barry and Oliver to join the DEO. She is stunned by their reactions.


**Just a little something that popped into my head when I started thinking about what would happen if something like the Sokovia Accords was passed in the Arrowverse. As I said in the summary, Earth-1 and Earth-38 are one in this universe. For the sake of a timeline, let's say this takes place shortly after Invasion. **

Central City

Afternoon

"What?" Kara Danvers asked, shocked as she stared at her two friends.

"No," Oliver said bluntly, his face resembling stone as he stared at her resolutely. "I won't work for the DEO.

Barry, his face calm and almost serene like, glanced over at Oliver before he glanced back at Kara.

"I appreciate the offer Kara, but Oliver's right. I can't work for the DEO," Barry said.

"But…if you do this, all your activities would be legal. You wouldn't have to worry about being framed or the police chasing you," Kara argued, not understanding.

"And what are we giving up to do it?" Oliver asked. "I've worked for government organizations before. It didn't work out so well."

"The DEO isn't like that Oliver," Kara tried to reason with him.

"But it's still run by bureaucrats who are more interested in lining their pockets then doing what's best from my city. I can't be worried about politics when I go out there Kara, otherwise I can't get things done and people die. And if that happens, then it's my fault. I've seen too many people die to do that," Oliver said as he thought of Yao-Fei, Shado, his parents, Akio, Tatiana, Tommy and Laurel before he looked back at Kara. "I know you're only trying to help, but I can't Kara."

Oliver then turned and walked but, leaving Barry and Kara alone.

"And you feel the same way?" Kara asked as she turned to Barry.

"Not for the same reasons as Oliver, but yeah. Say I take this deal. What happens when I'm ordered to turn over a Meta I catch to the government? What happens to them? I do that and it's my fault whatever happens to them," Barry said.

"The government isn't the bad guy Barry," Kara argued.

"Maybe, but I've already seen people trying to weaponize Metas," Barry said as he thought of Eiling. "You've seen Cadmus Kara. You really think there's no one else like Lex Luthor or his mother in the government? You're smarter than that."

Kara opened and closed her mouth but no words came out. Because, well, Barry had a point. But still…

"You sound like a conspiracy theorist Barry," Kara said and Barry sighed.

"Okay let's drop the talk about Metas, forget it. If you needed to go save someone and you were ordered not to…would you just stand down, knowing you could help?" Barry asked.

Kara didn't say anything but the answer was written all over her face.

"I couldn't either. But I'm not Supergirl; I can't just disobey the government and walk away scot-free. They know who I am Kara; they could come down on me with all their power. At best, I would be fired, maybe have to stop being The Flash," Barry argued as he smiled at her slightly. "I appreciate what you're trying to do Kara, but I will always do what I think is right, no matter what anyone, even the president, tells me. I wish I had the same trust in the government you do, but I've seen the dark side of it too many times. I can't work for the DEO Kara, I'm sorry."

"And if you're right and the government does come after you?" Kara asked softly.

Barry looked at her and she saw him change. It was no longer Barry Allen, her friend, who looked at her. It was The Flash, hero of Central City.

"Then they'll be in for the fight of their lives," Barry said with conviction and Kara didn't doubt him.

**Making Heroes part of a political process is just a bad idea, period. If you need a vigilante or superhero to come solve your problems, then clearly you aren't equipped to handle it. I chose Kara for this route because she seems to be the biggest pro government hero in the Arrowverse, almost trusting them to a naïve level, which worked for this.**

**Obviously, there is no surprise about Oliver's decision to reject Kara's offer. After Amanda Waller, Oliver is unlikely to ever trust a government organization he doesn't personally know. But Barry, well, that's probably another matter.**

**While Barry at first glance seems like he would have no problem with Kara's offer, if you look a little deeper, that's not the case. Barry may trust the system, but he knows it is not perfect. Barry learned at an early age that the law is not the end all, be all solution, otherwise his father would not have gone to prison. And he was also exposed to the dark side of the government in season one when with Eiling. **

**And really, if you just look at Barry's actions, he's unlikely to sign on with something like the DEO. Barry said it himself in episode two, he's not gonna wait for permission to save someone's life, which he didn't when he was told in Invasion to stand down by Lyla. If Barry won't listen to Lyla, who he trusts, and Joe, who he loves, he's not gonna stand down just because some government agent or politician tells him to. **


End file.
